Expression mechanism for musical instruments



C. F. STODDARD. EXPRESSION MECHANISM FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 1916. RENEWED DEC. 19.1921.

1 ,409,491 Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

gwuwilioz Ckaz'les I'Sioddaz-ol PATENT OFFECE.

uni-ran smug CHARLES E. STODDARD, 015 NEX YORK, N. Y. ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PIANO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK. N. Y A COBLPGRATION GE NEXV JERSEY.

EXPRESSION MECHANISIXI FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1&22.

Application filed November 27, 1916, Serial No. 133,562. Renewed December 19, 1921. Serial No. 523,585.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES 1 S'ronoAnD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, county and State of New York, have invented an improvement in Expression Mechanism for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for automatically varying playing intensities in automatic musical instruments, such as, for example, player-pianos and the like.

Among other objects, the invention is intended to provide apparatus capable of producing prompt changes of varying character in playing intensities, while maintaining with substantial uniformity the intensity of playing at any given moment whether one or many notes are simultaneously sounded.

The character of the invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying; drawings, which show die gran'imatically one illustrative embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, a connection to some suit able source of power for operating playing pneumatics 5, is provided by a duct 1 and, as well understood by those skilled in the art, the playing pneumatics may be operated se lectively from a tracker board through ducts 2. A duct 8 connects the action chests 4 of the player pneumatics with-a wind chest (3 which may be termed the regulated exhaust chest. A wind chest 7, which may be termed the high exhaust chest, is in free communication with the source of power and communicates with the regulated exhaust chest 6 through a valve controlled port 8 governed by a throttle valve 9. As well understood in the art, the valve 9, known as the regulator valve, regulates the flow of air from the action chest 4 to thev source.

The regulator valve 9 is connected by a stem 10 with the movable board 11 of a regulator pneumatic 12 and a duct 13 connects the regulator pneumatic with the regulated exhaust chest 6.

v The regulator pneumatic is adapted to he variably tensioned by pneumatic devices now to be described. A pneumatic 14 has its movable board connected with the movable board of the regulator pneumatic 12 and means are provided for variably exhausting the pneumatic 14 in order to exert varying degrees of tension upon the regulator pneumatic. As well understood in the art, an increase in the tension applied to the movable board of the regulator pneumatic will ncrease playing intensities. In this specific mechanism an increase in the degree of exhaust within pneumatic 14- will increase playmg intensities, and conversely as the pneumatic pressure within pneumatic 1% ap proaches atmospheric pressure, alaying intensities will be decreased.

Mechanism for controlling the degree of exhaust within pneumatic 14 is'herein provided by a needle valve 15 having a casing 16, and by means for variably positioning the needle valve and its casing. A flexible duct 17 connects the interior of the needle valve casing with thepneumatic 14 and a flexible duct 18 connects the interior of the valve casing with a source of exhaust. To counteract the momentary fluctuations which would otherwise occur in the pressure within pneumatic 14 upon movement of the bellows 12 in the performance of its regulating function, a bellows 19, having a light spring 20 and a restricted atmospheric bleed 21, is placed in communication with the pneumatic 14 through a duct 22. lVith the parts in the position shown in-the drawings. air will be exhausted from a pneumatic circuit beginning with the duct 18, extending through the needle valve. the duct 17. the pneumatic 14, the duct 22 and the bellows 19 to the bleed 21. Preferably the opening oi the duct 18 is so governed by the needle valve relatively to the opening; of the atmospheric bleed 21, that a low degree oi cxhaust will be maintained uniformly in the pneumatic 14 thus exerting small pull upon the regulator and regulating the playing of the instrument to the lowest intensity. 1

hfleans are provided for enlarging or (liminishing the opening of the duct 18 to the interior of the valve casing 16, which opcuingmay be termed thc exhaust bleed, gradually to produce crescendos and dimiuuendos, or abruptly to produce distinct step changes in, playing intensities. To provide for varying combinations oi expression changes two expression bellows are herein shown, a bellows 23 attached to the movable valve casing for crescendo effects, and a bellows 24 attached to the needle valve for step change effects.

The expression pneumatic 23 is arranged to be exhausted through a duct 25 preferably having an adjustable bleed by which the capacity of the duct may be diminished so as to cause the pneumatic 23 to collapse slowly and thereby slowly and gradually move the valve casing 16 to the right in the drawings, to enlarge the exhaust bleed. The effect of this, as will be readily understood, is to increase the degree of exhaust within the pneumatic 14, thereby increasing the tension upon the regulator pneumatic 12 and increasing. playingintensities. \Vhen atmospherc is admitted through the duct 25, the bellows 23 having been wholly or partially collapsed, is then expanded by a spring 26. This returns'the needle valve casing 16 to or toward its original position thereby producing a slow diminuendo.

The expression bellows 23 may also be exhausted through a duct 27 of greater capacity than the duct25 to collapse the bellows 23 at a greater speed with a corresponding ef fect upon playing intensities, but preferably the duct 27 'isof such. restricted capacity as to collapse the pneumatic 23 to give a crescendo effect similar to, but faster than that produced by exhausting through duct 25. When atmosphere is re-admitted through duct 27 a fast diminuendo results.

The other expression pneumatic'24 attached to the needle valve 15 may be exhausted through a duct 28 of sufhcientlyflarge capacity to permit the pneumatic to be exhausted almost instantaneously to. move the needle valve 15 to the left thereby rapidly increasing the exhaust bleed,permittinga rapid increase in the degreeof exhaust within the pneumatic 14 and consequently producing an abrupt increase in the tension upon theregulator bellows and a distinct stepof'increase in playing intensities. When atmosphere is readmitted through te duct 28, bellows 24 is expanded almost instantaneously by a spring 29to'pr0duce a distinct-step er increase in playing intensities.

To provide for a plurality of distinct steps, means are provided for arresting the collapse of the pneumatic 24 at different stages. The movable board of the expression pneumatic 24 carries a lug 29. A bellows 30 mounted adjacent the expression pneumatic 24, carries upon its movableboard a stop 31 and is arranged. to be exhausted through a duct 32. By exhausting the stop bellows 30,thestop 31. maybe positioned in the path of movement of the lug 29, to arrest the movement thereof when the pneumatic 24 is collapsed through, for example, one half of its total movement. If therefore, the pneumatic 3 0 is collapsed priorto the collapsing of the expression pneumatic 24, a step change of lesser extent will be inaugurated. S'imilarly the stop 31 may be interposed in the path of the lug 29 during expanding movement of the bellows24.

The. two expression pneumatics 23 and 24 have been heretofore described as operating independently. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the construction and arrangement herein shown, permits of conjoint operation to obtain varying combinations of step changes with crescendo and diminuendo changes in playing intensities. For example, if it is desired to accent a note or notes during the progress of a slow crescendo which is inaugurated by exhausting expression pneumatic 23 through duct 25, the step change expression bellows may be wholly or partially collapsed without interrupting the progress of the cre scendo exceptto produce the desired effect. Upon the expansion of the step change bellows the crescendo will continue its normal progress. Similarly with a slow diminuendo and fast crescendos and diminuendos.

The various ducts 25, 27, 28 and 32 may be controlled to place them in communication with atmosphere or a source of exhaust in any practicable manner by any suitable au tomatic means preferably controlled by vents in the tracker. F or instance, the socalled automatic actions described in Pet out No. 1,008,291 maybe adapted for this purpose. These automatic actions and valves form in themselves no part of this invention and therefore need not be described or shown herein.

It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular construction, organization and mode of operation shown in the drawings and described for illustration. On the contrary the invention maybe variouslyembodied and the particular construction may be variously modified within the scope of the subjoined claims. It is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly since, in some instances, they may be used separately to advantage.

I claim as my invention:

1, In a musical instrument, the combination ofplaying pneumatics; a source of power for operating the playing pneumatics; a valve between said source of power and the playing pneumatic-s; a. regulator pneumatic having operative connection with said valve and tending to close the same; pneumatic tension means for variably tensioning the regulator and tending to open said valve; an expression pneumatic for controlling said pneumatic tension means for producing crescendo effects; and a second expression pneumatic controlling said pneumatic tenslon means for producing step change effects.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating the playing pneumatics;

a valve between said source of power and the playing pneumatics; a regulator pneumatic having operative connection with said valve and tending to close the same; pneumatic tension means for variably tensioning the regulator and tending to open said valve; a crescendo bellows for causing progressional changes in playing intensities; a step bellows for causing incremental changes in playing intensities; and means for controlling said pneumatic tension means by said crescendo bellows and step bellows.

3. In a musical instrument, the cmbi11ation of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating the playing pneumatics; a valve between said source of power and the playing pneumatics; a regulator pneumatic having operative connection with said valve and tending to close the same; pneumatic tension means for variably tensioning the regulator and tending to open said valve; a crescendo bellows for causing progressional changes in playing intensities; a step bellows for causing incremental changes in playing intensities; and means or controlling said pneumatic tension means by said crescendo and step bellows separately or together.

4. In a musical instrument, the combination of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating the playing pneumatics; a valve between said source of power and playing pneumatics a regulator having operative connection with said valve; pneumatic means for variably tensioning said regulator; a valve and valve casing for controlling said pneumatic tension means; an expression bellows for moving said valve casing; a second expression bellows tor moving said valve; means for gradually exhausting one of said bellows; and means for rapidly exhausting the other of said bellows to produce crescendo and step changes respectively in playing intensities.

5. In a musical instrument the con1bination of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating the playing pneumatics; a valve between said source of power and the playing pneumatics; a regulator having operative connection with said valve; aneumatic means for variably tensioning said regulator; a valve and valve casing for con trolling said pneumatic tension means; an expression bellows "for moving said valve us ing; a second expression bellows for moving said valve; means for gradually exhausting one of said bellows at a plurality of speeds for producing crescendos; and means for exhausting the other of said bellows to difterent extents for producing different step chan es in playing intensities.

6. n a musical instrument the combination of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating the playing pneumatics; a valve between said source of power and the playing pneumatics; a regulator having operative connection with said valve; pneumatic means for tensioning the regulator; step change means for causing incremental changes in playing intensities, and. crescendo means, for causing progressional changes in playing intensities, controlling separately or co-operativly said pneumatic means "for tensioning the regulator.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 24th day of l ovember, 1916.

CHARLES F. STODDARD. 

